Hotazhell upsets Irish Champion; Blue Bolt strikes again in Matron

The two Breeders’ Cup Challenge events during Saturday’s kickoff of the Irish Champions Festival yielded completely different kinds of results at Leopardstown. While Juddmonte’s streaking Blue Bolt lived up to heavy favoritism in the Matron (G1), Hotazhell sprang a massive upset in the Irish Champion (G1).

The Matron serves as a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), but Blue Bolt has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Mile (G1). Hotazhell, who earned a spot in the Turf (G1), is reportedly eyeing British Champions Day before retiring to stud.

Irish Champion (G1)

The Irish Champion was expected to revolve around the principals from the Juddmonte International (G1), chief among them third-placer Constitution River, who was favored to turn the tables on Item and Almaqam.

Instead, the real pointer turned out to be the July 26 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis (G1) at Munich, where Hotazhell ended his losing skid, and Wimbledon Hawkeye was a rattling third. Their renewal of rivalry here was overlooked, but these were the two fighting out the finish. 

The Jessica Harrington-trained Hotazhell ($76.90) was the forgotten horse after a winless sophomore campaign in 2025. Yet the well-named Too Darn Hot colt had loads of back class from his juvenile days, particularly an upset of Delacroix in the 2024 Futurity Trophy (G1) at Doncaster, and his recent heroics in Germany showed that he was still capable. 

Even so, the regression on the part of the market leaders was the other factor in the boil-over. Constitution River failed to put the race away, Almaqam couldn’t pick up, and Item was never really traveling. 

Constitution River was supposed to benefit from the presence of his Ballydoyle pace relay, led by Lambourn with Hawk Mountain in the supporting role. The game plan appeared to be unfolding as Constitution River tracked his stablemates in third and picked up the baton in the stretch. Just when the Aidan O’Brien favorite should have delivered the coup de grace, he flattened out.

Meanwhile, Hotazhell was literally barging onto the scene with Shane Foley. Full of run after steering out into the clear, he drifted toward the inside and hampered A Boy Named Susie, who was moving well enough at the time. The weakening Hawk Mountain and Lambourn were sawed off in the chain reaction, although their chances were already spent. 

Hotazhell hunted down Constitution River, only to find Wimbledon Hawkeye suddenly swooping from last. In a desperate finish, Hotazhell just lasted by a whisker in 2:02.53 for 1 1/4 miles on the good course.

Constitution River checked in another three-quarters of a length adrift in third. Possibly hoist on his own petard by an overdone pace scenario, the French Derby (G1) and Eclipse (G1) winner could simply be in declining form.

O’Brien surmised that a very taxing Juddmonte had left its mark on Constitution River. That hypothesis would fit the other disappointing alumni as well. Almaqam went through the motions in fourth, and Item was a lackluster sixth, beating only pace players Hawk Mountain and Lambourn. 

The what-if surrounds A Boy Named Susie. If not slammed senseless by Hotazhell, the Donnacha O’Brien pupil probably would have been a little nearer than fifth. The video below includes detailed forensic examination of the incident.

Silverton Hill Partnership’s Hotazhell has compiled a mark of 15-6-1-3. In addition to the Futurity Trophy, his juvenile season featured victories in the Beresford (G2) and Tyros (G3) along with a second to Henri Matisse in the Curragh’s Futurity (G2). Hotazhell’s luckless 2025 included a comeback third in the Irish 2000 Guineas (G1), a frustrating fourth in the Saratoga Derby (G1), and a fourth to old foe Delacroix in the Irish Champion.

Hotazhell just missed in his reappearance in the June 7 Hill of Tara S. at Navan, where he was demoted to third. Adding cheekpieces for the International (G3) at the Curragh, he finished with interest for third to the highly-touted Purview, and took a step forward at Munich. 

By Too Darn Hot and out of the Danehill Dancer mare Azenzar, Hotazhell hails from the family of five-time Group 1 queen Alexander Goldrun, who defeated older males in the 2004 Hong Kong Cup (G1) at Sha Tin.

Matron (G1)

Blue Bolt ($3.00) swept from just off the pace to remain perfect in 2026. Trained by Andrew Balding and confidently handled by Juddmonte’s retained rider, Colin Keane, the odds-on favorite had 2 1/4 lengths to spare over City of Memphis.

Defending champion Fallen Angel salvaged third in a photo with the 125-1 shot Duckadilly. Ballydoyle’s Precise was a flat fifth, and stablemate True Love couldn’t get closer than sixth in the nine-horse field. 

Blue Bolt sports a stellar 11-8-2-0 record. The Blue Point filly was progressive last year, winning the Distaff S. at Sandown and placing in the Atalanta (G3) and Sun Chariot (G1). But she has been a revelation since her workmanlike return in the May 2 Conqueror Fillies’ S. at Goodwood. Improving to win the Duke of Cambridge (G2) handily at Royal Ascot, Blue Bolt came forward again in the Falmouth (G1), added the Prix Rothschild (G1), and continued her European tour here. 

Bred by C-Squared Investments in Ireland, Blue Bolt was purchased for about $435,527 as an Arqana Arqana August yearling. The bay is a half-sister to stakes scorers Sea Theme and Sky Angel, who was also classic-placed in Germany. Their dam, the Group 3-winning Whipper mare Mayhem, is a full sister to Group 2 hero Royal Bench and a half to Irish classic-placed Group 3 victor Memphis Tennessee. 

Keane earlier piloted another Juddmonte fancy, Maire Rua ($6.70), to victory in the Ingabelle S. for two-year-old fillies. Trained by Ger Lyons, who also won this race with Zarinsk (2022) and Chantez (2024), the Frankel filly was rebounding from a troubled third in the Firville S. at Cork. She had impressed in her July 9 debut over this course and seven-furlong trip, and her resume stands at 3-2-0-1. 

A full sister to Group 3-winning stablemate Red Letter, who runs in Sunday’s Blandford (G2) at the Curragh, Maire Rua is out of the stakes-placed Dark Angel mare Red Impression. 

Other Group action at Leopardstown

The lone bright for Ballydoyle came courtesy of Darkness Falls ($3.70), who dominated the remodeled Golden Fleece (G1) for juveniles. Formerly a one-mile Group 2 known as the Champions Juvenile, the contest was extended to 1 1/8 miles and upgraded to top-level status this year.

Darkness Falls propelled himself into antepost favoritism for the Derby (G1) at Epsom with his 4 1/4-length romp. Under Ryan Moore, who also guided him to a seven-length maiden conquest at the Curragh, the bay broke like a shot but eased back to rate kindly. His staying power came to the fore as he asserted his authority in 1:51.73, advancing his line to 3-2-0-1. 

Campaigned by Westerberg and the Coolmore partners, Darkness Falls has also entered Breeders’ Cup consideration. O’Brien described the Camelot colt as a “Guineas horse plus,” adding “that’s the way his dad was.”

Darkness Falls was produced by the stakes-placed You’resobeautiful, a daughter of No Nay Never and 1999 Irish 1000 Guineas (G1) winner Hula Angel. This is the further family of 1985 Kentucky Derby (G1) romper and Horse of the Year Spend a Buck. 

Jockey James Doyle turned a double with Arabian Crown ($26.10) in the Kilternan (G3) and Quddwah ($3.90) in the Solonaway (G2). Both could show up next in North America.

Godolphin’s Arabian Crown poached the 1 1/2-mile Kilternan on the front end. The Charlie Appleby trainee held sway by 2 1/4 lengths from Sons and Lovers while clocking 2:32.31. Juddmonte hotpot Purview, left with too much to do far back in the field, rallied well to snatch third.

Arabian Crown was last seen finishing second to stablemate Rebel’s Romance in the July 9 Princess of Wales’s (G2) at Newmarket, the legendary globetrotter’s swan song. Arabian Crown’s record now reads 13-6-1-2, reflecting wins in the 2023 Zetland (G3) and Stonehenge S., the 2024 Sandown Classic Trial (G3), and the 2025 August S. in a stop-start career. He was also third in last summer’s Princess of Wales’s to El Cordobes and Wimbledon Hawkeye. 

The Dubawi gelding has his eye on the Canadian International (G1) at Woodbine, where Appleby scored a “Win and You’re In” double Saturday with Notable Speech and Al Hudaiba. 

Sheikh Ahmed al Maktoum’s Quddwah might venture to Keeneland next month, presumably for the Coolmore Turf Mile (G1), or take another swing at the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (G2), where he missed by only a head last October. 

Freshened following his runner-up effort to Ombudsman in the March 28 Dubai Turf (G1), Quddwah was the clear form choice in the Solonaway. The Simon and Ed Crisford veteran obliged with a stalk-and-pounce trip, subduing pacesetter Audience by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:39.64 for the mile. 

The race was marred by the injury to Expanded, who was pulled up at the top of the stretch. There were also notable scratches in the form of Faiyum, Power Blue, and Hazdann. 

Quddwah, a six-year-old son of Kingman and multiple Group 1 winner Sajjhaa, improved his scorecard to 17-9-2-0. Seven of those wins have come in stakes, most notably the 2024 Summer Mile (G2) at Ascot, the 2025 Prix Messidor (G3), and the Zabeel Mile (G2) and Singspiel (G2) during the 2026 Dubai Carnival. 

The Irish Champions Festival continues Sunday at the Curragh, with three more Challenge races among a total of four Group 1s.